


Puppies and Rainbows

by Ketlingr



Category: Marvel (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Avengers AU, Fluff, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-06
Updated: 2013-10-06
Packaged: 2017-12-28 13:42:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 3
Words: 18,576
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/992635
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ketlingr/pseuds/Ketlingr
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Underage warning because 15 and 16 are both not 18.</p><p>"... Occasionally one would see the two boys together during room changes. Whenever they met in the hallways they were dancing around each other, kissing and hugging – it was so cute that some people could not help but adore them for it." </p><p>Tony has a regular childhood and loving parents. Bruce and Phil are brothers. Fluffy teen romance! (Avengers AU)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> Warnings: Romance. Also, some sexy stuff that isn't supposed to be sexy. It's just part of the plot and more mentioned than described.  
> If you like, you can find my ramblings about this story in the end notes.

* * *

It had been a wild match, but a good one. Soaked in both rain and sweat, the team made it's way from the field to the showers. All of them, without exception, were tall and muscular and a couple of surprisingly large guys was among them.

Anthony, however, marvelled especially at the tall, dark-haired one, who was slightly shorter than the other players and had a cute, shy laugh when the others were joking with him. He was obviously new to the team and still had to ease his way into the group.

Anthony sighed inwardly. All of these young men were out of his reach. Had they been younger, he might have had a chance with some of them, but all of them were at least four or five years Tony's senior and some of them probably a good decade older. Anthony himself, however, had just turned sixteen and he had also been watching the team from the shadows for at least two years now, which would not make him look very good if it were to become public knowledge.

Not that Tony was particularly lonely, or even inexperienced when it came to relationships. He had had his share of dates and sexual encounters with guys of his age, ever since he had found out about the pleasures of sex. Not that he needed a relationship for having sex, he had found that one out pretty soon, too. However, although it was a nice pastime activity, Tony was dreaming of a partner. To feel a special connection to someone and be faithful to him seemed so much more desirable to him than just engaging in mindless, meaningless intercourse. He wanted to have a person to share these feelings with, a real partner. Someone like Joshua, the handsome young man he had watched all morning.

Now that the shower doors had closed behind the elder, Anthony left his hideout behind the ball rack and went outside, his mind still on Joshua and the things his mind came up with had a visible effect on Tony's body. He was quite embarrassed as he noticed it. While people were generally open concerning sexuality, it was still something moderately private. One did not just jerk their penis in open public, just as one did not start to have sex right on the street. If it was done in the dark corner of some random alley it was fine, Tony had come to know one night, maybe even in the bushes of a park, but people who did not want to be bothered by it, especially the youngest, should at all times be given a possibility to avoid taking too much notice.

Therefore, to avoid being seen with a hard-on, Tony hurried home through the rain, staring at the ground beneath him to avoid looking at the people who eventually noticed the bulge in his pants.

* * *

Saturdays were the worst. Especially when they were rainy. No, actually, Sundays where the worst. When everyone was at home with their families, spending quality time. Bruce's dad probably did not even know how to spell quality. Or time. Or his son's name.

But Saturdays were bad, too, Bruce thought while gloomily kicking at a stone. It was the day his father did spend time with his son. With Bruce's younger brother Phil. Every week, every god damn Saturday, the two of them left for Phil's music group, leaving Bruce at home to take care of the grocery shopping for the upcoming week and – while he was at it – some housekeeping, too.

Slowly making his way to the stores, Bruce wished his brother would choke on his stupid trumpet – and felt bad the moment the thought had escaped his mind. He would never want anything to happen to his little brother and he was a horrible elder brother to think of something like that. He probably deserved to be alone all the time.

Since their mother had died ten years ago, the now fifteen-year-old had been on his own a lot. His father had always been busy with work and his two years younger brother Phil was more annoying than useful company. Bruce had gotten used to being alone and it had not even mattered that much to him, until a few years ago.

That was when all the confusion had started. He had been a late bloomer, concerning physical development. The weird feelings, the even weirder dreams – and the weirdest thoughts. Bruce had been insecure about the way his body had been developing and reacting and there had been absolutely no person he could have turned to to ask about it.

However, he mused, even if his father had decided to finally spend some time with him, Bruce would not even have had the guts to ask him about it. They just had no connection at all. And, after all, Bruce had find out about puberty on his own anyway. What was bothering him now, however, was no less confusing.

He felt an ache. All the time, it was always there, yet he knew it was nothing physical. It was a tugging sensation in his chest, a deeply embedded sadness and need for something he could not quite put his finger on. It was just another mystery his life posed to him and he would, some day, find out what it meant and how to make it better. Until then, he guessed he would just go on like nothing was happening, hoping nobody else would find out about it.

Just when Bruce was about to sink even deeper in dark thoughts of self-pity, he bumped into something. Or rather, someone. Startled he took a half-step back, staring at the stranger.

“I'm s-sorry”, he stammered. The other was definitely older than Bruce, even though he was not much taller. “Are you alright? I... I'm really sorry, I should watch my step, I was d-daydreaming.” With that, Bruce backed away some more, before he turned around and fled. His face was flushed red with embarrassment.

* * *

Anthony did not even get a chance to reply, before the stuttering stranger ran off. Had he done something wrong? Checking his expression in a puddle, the teenager shook his head. He was not looking frighting, he was not even frowning. Then again, the little guy had seemed to be a shy type of person, he had practically oozed shyness.

Shrugging Anthony continued his way home. Actually, that little guy had been kind of cute... Luckily, the cold rain and the startling incident had caused his boner to go down. Anthony managed to get his thoughts to safer waters, wondering who that boy had been and if he had really looked as sad as Anthony had in mind.

Why did Tony think of him as a boy, anyway? The stranger could not have been that much younger than Anthony himself. He was not technically a 'little guy' either, at least not in comparison with Tony, who was rather short himself. However, the other had been so... delicate. And Tony really could not think of a word more suitable to describe the little guy.

Finally home, Anthony shook himself like a dog, causing most of the water from his hair and clothes to rain down a second time, wetting the entrance hall. His mother was already approaching him with a huge towel. She always thought of everything.

“Now, you made a mess. Please dry that off as soon as you're dry yourself, will you, honey?”, she asked of him before turning to walk back into the living area. “Lunch is in the oven, just help yourself”, she added. The family was dining together in the evenings, breakfast and lunch were prepared by Tony's mum, but everyone ate at their own convenience. It was difficult to coordinate their time schedules, as Tony's dad was working all day and usually did not come home for lunch break and Tony sometimes stayed at school for lunch or visited a friend's place.

Quickly drying himself and the room, Anthony draped the towel over a heating rack to let it dry before hurrying to the kitchen. The smell of delicious meat loaf and potatoes tingled his nose and made his stomach growl in anticipation. His mother was the best cook ever, he thought, serving himself.

Breakfast on Monday was just as delicious, her pancakes were a bite of heaven and the bacon was crisp and juicy, just as it should be. It was the perfect start into the day – just as it was every day. It was the source of Anthony's good mood and energy.

Kissing his mum goodbye for the morning, Tony took off to school. On the way to the school grounds, his thoughts evolved around Joshua, fantasizing about how they could possibly meet and start talking, how they would like each other so much they would never want to touch another person ever again. How they would start a family, even though Tony knew that was not possible. One day he would have to be with a woman, two guys could not possibly start a family. It just did not work out.

The first two lessons were geography, a subject Anthony could simply not pay attention to, no matter how hard he tried. The teenager ended up drawing pictures of him and another guy, probably Joshua. Luckily, his teacher, Mr Soren, knew Anthony well enough to excuse his zoning out. Trying to get geography into this young man's head was a lost cause and he had given up trying, letting his student pass just barely with far below average grades.

Anthony was relieved when the bell finally rang for mid-morning break. He was the first to storm out of the class room, running outside towards the grounds. However, he stopped halfway through the corridor, staring at another student for a while until he even realized he had stopped.

“Hey, it's you!”, Anthony exclaimed, walking over the the little guy. He had silky, dark-brown hair, and a soft, shy look about himself. He really was cute – and he really looked as sad as Anthony remembered. “I didn't know you were going to this school, too!” Anthony beamed at the smaller one, who seemed just as nervous as when they had first met.

Bruce looked up at the boy, who was half a head taller than himself.

“H-hey”, he mumbled, blushing. The elder remembered him? That was so embarrassing! After Bruce had stuttered so much and ran off like that... Forcing a smile Bruce hoped the other would go away. He was not good at conversations. Not that he had not wanted the elder to talk to him. He was handsome, in a cute way. Short, dark hair, confidence and curiosity gleaming in his eyes...

“Why are you so shy?”, Anthony asked, with no intention to leave. He did not notice his own curious grin as he followed a random intuition and hugged the small form of the younger boy. It felt better than Tony had expected. The other was so warm and... and obviously surprised by the sudden closeness, as his body tensed up. Quickly, Anthony let go and blushed.

“S-sorry 'bout that. I just... you looked so sad!”, he explained and gave an apologetic smile. “Hey, wanna go outside?”, he suggested then and without waiting for an answer, he grabbed the younger boy's wrist and dragged him outside. He liked making new friends.

Meanwhile, Bruce was too startled to even protest. He just stumbled after the elder, his eyes wide in shock. What was going on? Not only was this guy talking to him and spending time with him, he was also at least a grade above Bruce and thus supposed to look down on him and be arrogant and... stuff. However, he had to admit, it did feel good to be noticed.

As they reached a sunny spot, which was not as crowded as some other places out here, they slowed down and Bruce felt his wrist released. He stopped walking, staring at the ground before his feet. Nervously he waited for the other to say something, not sure what to do or where to look or how to stand. He felt like running away before he embarrassed himself again.

“What's your name? I'm Anthony”, he heard the elder say. His friendly voice and open nature made the boy smile and look up for a moment. “Anthony Stark. Or Tony.”

“I'm Bruce Banner-Coulson”, he said, his voice shy and quiet.

Anthony grinned at him. This little guy was so cute. He would get him to open up, he was sure of it. “Hello Bruce Banner-Coulson. Nice meeting you. How old are you? I'm sixteen”, he said, hoping to get the boy to talk a little more, if only about simple things.

“Fifteen”, Bruce replied, unable to force the smile off his face. Why was he grinning like an idiot? How could it feel so good to just talk to someone? Then again, how long had it been since he had talked to someone else than his brother outside the classroom? Not that he spoke up a lot in class anyway...

“Awesome. What's your next class? Mine is history. You like history?” Anthony would not give up. He was still excited and amazed by how cute that boy was. He looked so fragile! His body was built in a more slender, delicate manner than Tony's, who always looked a little clumsy with his large hands, even though he was not. In fact, he was quite good with his hands.

Finally Bruce managed to lift his head for longer than a moment, smiling up at the other.

“I like history, a lot. It's my favourite subject”, he said. It was actually the only subject he was really good at. Bruce knew a lot about history and spoke up a lot in class because he knew, it was something he was good at and he was being praised for. He knew a lot about other things, too, but being good in science meant he was going to get asked to do projects and present them to his classmates and he would not take that risk.

“Really?”, Anthony asked, smiling back. “I suck at it. Maybe you can help me with it, I always forget when things happened, I guess I'm just too stupid.” Or too lazy, he added in his mind and grinned inwardly.

Bruce chuckled. “It's not so hard, you just have to understand how everything connects. Most people just see the single events independently, but if you start seeing everything as a continuous story, things get a lot easier.”

“I see... so how does that work? What about the assassination of that one guy? I don't see how that relates to starting a world war, really.” Tony hoped it was a topic the boy was familiar with, he wanted him to come out of his shell, not to make him feel bad. But he was lucky, Bruce's face lit up and they spent the rest of the break discussing history. And that little guy was really smart!

Both of them were disappointed when the break was over. As Bruce turned to walk back inside, Anthony held him back by his shoulder.

“Hey... wanna meet after school? You can come home with me, my mum wouldn't mind. We can go tell your parents together, later”, he suggested and smiled.

Bruce was too surprised to reply at first. He was being invited over to someone's place! Had that ever even happened before?

“Sure! I... I'd love to! I'll be here after sixth period. My parents won't mind”, he said and beamed up at Anthony before he ran off, so he would not be late to his class. His dad would not only not mind, he would probably not even notice. And Phil would not be home until the evening, so Bruce was fine to go wherever he wanted to.

When he met with Anthony four hours later, Bruce was nervous. Would the other still want him around? Maybe he had been joking and would not even show up? Or he would show up with his friends and mock him? However, as Bruce arrived outside, Anthony was already waiting for him, waving him over excitedly.

“Hey man!”, Tony greeted and grinned at the younger. “You really made me win that history lesson, you know? My teacher was about to send me home ill”, he joked and ruffled the shorter boy's hair. And he could tell by the Bruce's bright eyes that he was proud, even though all Bruce did was laugh shyly.

“Ready to go?”, Tony asked and as Bruce nodded they set into motion, Anthony leading the way to his parents' house. After all the rain on the weekend, the weather was surprisingly nice and warm. Tony talked a lot, joked and fooled around with Bruce until the boy had opened up again and was joking back, eventually being just like any other teenaged boy.

“... and than I jumped at him and tackled him and we both started rolling over the floor. And suddenly the floor was gone and we were just staring at each other and screamed before we rolled down the stairs. It was so stupid and it hurt like hell but we just laughed when we were done, because we knew it must've looked so amazingly stupid.” Anthony chuckled at the memory and Bruce had a wide grin splitting his face. “We're almost there by the way. My mum should be home, my dad's at work. I'm an only child so no brats to annoy us. Do you have siblings?”

“A brother. He's twelve but he's nice most of the time”, Bruce said and smiled up at Anthony. He was excited that he was getting to see the other boy's home and meet his mother. “I bet your family is nice.”

“Uh? Sure they are. Why?”, Anthony asked, surprised by the other boy's statement. Wasn't family supposed to be nice?

“Just guessing. I mean, you are nice. So your parents must be nice, too, right?” The topic seemed to make Bruce nervous again, so Anthony changed the subject.

“My mum is the best cook in the world! I'm sure lunch is ready when we get home, you will never want to eat anywhere else again, I promise you. Actually, I hope there's even enough for both of us. I think... I think I should hurry to be home first.” The boys grinned at each other and a moment later they started running. Even though Bruce was smaller than Tony, he was just as quick and it was a close race. Anthony only won because he actually knew where to go.

Panting and laughing, the boys removed their shoes in the entrance hall before Tony led the younger inside.

“Mom, I'm home! I brought someone”, he shouted into the house. Moments later, his mother showed up. She seemed curious and her friendly smile became even gentler when she noticed the boy her son had brought home.

“Oh goodness, boy, you are adorable. But you definitely need to get some meat on your ribs, come on in boys, lunch is in the kitchen.” With that she took off and the boys followed her. The smell was mouth-watering; Tony guessed duck and rice. And he was right. And it was insanely delicious. Bruce definitely had picked the right day to pay them a visit.

“You certainly did not lie about your mother's cooking.” The two of them were heading upstairs. Bruce was not sure if he had ever eaten something so good.

“Tony, could you help me for a moment?”

Anthony gave the younger boy a look of apology.

“Sure, mom!”, he shouted, then pointed at one of the doors down the hallway. “It's that room in the middle, I'll be right there with you in a minute”, he said and grinned, hurrying downstairs to see what his mother could want of him.

Bruce slowly approached the older boy's room, trying to picture it in his head. For some reason he guessed it would be messy, but when he opened the door, he was surprised to find it very neat and orderly, a big room, flooded with sunlight. The bed was big enough for two people if they lay close, the desk showed almost no signs of being in use and there were only few books in the whole room. Instead, the shelves were filled with all kinds of structures and metal things Bruce mistook for Toys until it came to him that they were too elaborate, too... mechanical to be ordinary toys. Everything had a rough touch to it and Bruce wondered if Tony had probably made all these things himself. Maybe Anthony Stark was smarter than he made himself appear, Bruce mused as he observed everything carefully.

There were three choices of seating and after considering the desk chair, Bruce chose one of two love seats to sit down on, waiting for his new friend.

Meanwhile, Anthony was helping his mother with the dishes, waiting for her to talk. She never called him down when he had friends over, unless she wanted to say something. Apparently it was not that she did not like Bruce, she had practically pampered him from the moment he had set a foot into this house. When she finally spoke up, Tony could not help but laugh.

“That boy, Bruce, he is very cute. I can understand if you want to... be alone with him, but make sure the little guy is ready, alright?”

Be alone with him. Tony had not even thought of that. Especially not in the way his mother meant it. Considering it for a moment he guessed it was not far from possible but he shook his head nonetheless. He wanted a partner. A real partner. He would not sex around any more.

“I'll take care”, he promised, not willing to explain his feelings to his mother. At least not now while his new friend was waiting upstairs.

“Good. I'm glad you're so responsible, Tony. Now go upstairs, I bet he's bored out of his mind waiting alone.” Tony grinned at her, gave her a quick peck on the cheek and ran upstairs, bursting into his room to find Bruce sitting to his right.

“So, what are we going to do?”, he asked, as though this was the other boy's place and not his own. “Oh, I know! Let's go outside. We have a big backyard, we can play football or start another running match. You're really quick, but I'm sure I can beat you.”

And all that they did. They spent all afternoon outside, interrupted only by a snack break Tony's mother induced to refill the boy's energy meters. The two boys kept running and wrestling and talking and Bruce was sure he had never had so much fun and he had never met a boy as nice as Tony. When the air cooled down and the two of them were finally starting to get exhausted, they went back up into Anthony's room.

They both dropped down on Tony's bed, breathing heavily and still grinning at each other like madmen. Being so close to Bruce, Tony felt a strange tingle inside his chest and tummy. He wanted to be alone with him, just as his mother had predicted. He wanted to take him and be inside him so badly it almost hurt. However, he had promised to be responsible and considerate.

“Bruce... have you ever... had sex with someone?”, he asked out of the blue, because, really, was there a subtle way to ask such a question? Biting his lip, hoping the other would say he had, Tony waited. But he boy shook his head.

“No... no I have never done such things at all”, the younger replied truthfully. Anthony changed subject, trying to distract himself. He started talking about history again, knowing it was a safe subject and that Bruce would have fun discussing it and teaching Tony.

When Bruce had to leave later that evening, Anthony felt restless. He wanted him back, he wanted to open him, to be with him... After a quick lunch with his parents, the teenager hurried up to his room, locking the door behind him. He lay down on his bed, staring at the ceiling.

It was impossible for him to get Bruce off his mind, he could still smell him and remembered the feeling of his soft skin against his body when they had wrestled and Bruce's shirt had slipped up, remembered how it was to hold the fragile body tight, so tight he could not escape.

Anthony rolled over to lay on his side. He grabbed his pillow and pressed it hard against his hip, imagining it was Bruce's warm body pressing softly against him. As Tony started moving against the fabric in the darkness, he imagined the smell of Bruce's sex, the sound of his desperate moans of pleasure...

* * *

“... and that's how Napoleon was defeated, fighting two armies with one.”

Anthony was laying flat on his back, listening to Bruce's explanations.

“That makes sense”, he stated and nodded. Finally someone brought some light into the dark world of history. “Bruce you're really saving me, you know that? You're the best.” Grinning at the younger he noticed the faint blush spreading on the boy's cheeks. Oh how he loved that blush. Oh how he would definitely make this kid blush for so many reasons...

“By the way, Bruce, my mum invites you for lunch tomorrow. Wanna come?”

Bruce nodded enthusiastically. The first and as of now last time he had visited Anthony had been three days ago and he had hoped to be invited over ever since then.

“It was great last time, I'd love to come”, he said and smiled.

The school bell separated them and thanks to Bruce, Anthony was doing great at history once more. In all other classes, however, he could only think of his new friend, of how his face would look in pleasure, of how his body would twist and shake with his orgasm...

For some reason though, there was never the right time to actually talk to Bruce about things. He always seemed so shy and innocent and Anthony just could not find the right words to ask him about it – and he definitely did not want to rush things, to force him or drive him away.

“Tell me about your brother”, Tony asked of Bruce, when they were laying on his bed together after lunch on Friday.

“He's only twelve, there's not much to tell... his name's Phil... he's really cute and even shorter and skinnier than me. He's got slightly lighter hair. Uhmm... Phil really likes chocolate. He'd do about anything for it. Sometimes I think he's addicted to it”, Bruce laughed, he seemed to be lost in his thoughts, internally seeing his little brother before him. “When he laughs he scrunches his face. And when he sleeps he hugs his legs like a teddy bear. He's very independent for his age, but he still likes it when I'm around and we play, like when he was a child.”

Anthony watched the younger boy closely. He seemed very caring and his brother seemed so important to him.

“I bet you're a good brother.”

“I'd do anything for him.”

* * *

At night Bruce sometimes lay awake, just staring into the darkness. Usually he spent this time glooming over his life, but things had changed. Now he was thinking of this one boy, this happy, energetic boy who had made his every day just so much better. At these times, Bruce felt the tugging inside his chest, get stronger, more painful, as though something inside him was being dragged down into a deep, dark hole. As much as Anthony lightened his days, whenever Bruce found himself alone, things just looked so much darker than ever.

What if some day Anthony would get bored of Bruce? What if he found another friend to spend time with? Even in school, Tony was not always with him. Whenever the boy watched him around his friends, he became so awfully jealous and sad.

Then again, when Tony was around, Bruce felt like they could do whatever and just be happy. It seemed he could talk to Tony about just anything. Anything...

* * *

“Tony, I... I need to ask you something”, Bruce started, the two of them cuddling on the older boy's bed.

“Anything.” The boy's voice gave away that he was uncomfortable and Tony wondered what could be so pressing that it would make him that uneasy.

“Lately... I've been feeling... it's kind of...”, Bruce bit his lip, thinking of a good way to put things. He could not row back anymore, and he would not. He had to know about it. “I... feel weird at times. Maybe I'm sick. It's... I feel... there's this [i]need[/i] inside me and I... it's like a burning. No that's not right, more like a... it feels like a part of me is spinning so fast it hurts, like I've lost something very important and I don't know what it is.” He started stammering incomprehensible things, not sure how to go on and explain any further and Anthony, laying on his side, just stared at him.

“Are you feeling it now?”, Tony asked, the vague idea that formed in his head seemed more of a wish than an accurate assessment of the situation Bruce was in. The other boy was quiet, thinking, listening into himself.

“No. It's gone.” He almost sounded amazed. Then he felt foolish. Maybe now Tony was thinking he had made it all up? But it had been there! It had bothered him so much, for so long...

Tony tried to stay calm and not get excited. Was he interpreting too much in these words, just because he wanted things to happen? Bruce was so insecure about this, anything Tony said now could be manipulating him... As Anthony saw the younger get more and more uneasy and ashamed, he stopped thinking and leaned over to give him a gentle kiss on the lips to stop him from thinking himself into a heart attack. Bruce froze, confused.

“Don't worry. It's a good thing”, Tony assured the younger boy. Raging excite filled his insides, he was so incredibly happy that Bruce seemed to feel what Tony was feeling, he was so happy that he was close to rushing things. But no. There were things to talk about, before that.

Bruce still seemed confused. “You mean... you mean you have that too?”, he asked, involuntarily looking at the older boy's chest, as though the ache was something visible.

Anthony nodded. “I do. Or... I have, for a long time. But not when I'm with you. Maybe we should...”

“Should what?”

Anthony hesitated for a moment. “Give it a shot.”

“Give... give what a shot?”

“Being a couple.” Anthony was surprised by how convinced he was that this was the right – the only choice. Even after this short period of time that he had known Bruce, he knew that there was nothing he wanted more. Especially now that the other seemed to feel the same.

Both boys fell silent, following their own trails of thoughts. While Bruce seemed to calm down, Anthony was getting more and more excited – which Bruce seemed to notice first, when he involuntarily flinched as he felt something harden between himself and Tony. They looked at each other for a long while, hearts racing and Anthony's erection between them.

And then, suddenly, their lips were locked, Tony's hands running all over Bruce's body, pushing him to lay on his back. Kneeling over him, the elder parted Bruce's legs to kneel between them. Just as Bruce feared the other was just going to do 'it', Anthony slowed himself down, his hands caressing the other's chest, toying with his small nipples, which, judged by the soft moans of the younger, were very sensitive.

He gave Bruce all the time the other needed, endlessly kissing and caressing him, helping him relax, all the while having a hard time holding himself back. And when they finally joined, he could tell Bruce was melting below him, an overload of sensation flooding him. The strained moans, full of sweet pain and agonizing pleasure, making it hard for Anthony to restrain himself and not just give way to his own lust.

Bruce did not make him wait too long, he was overwhelmed by rushes of ecstasy and was breathless even long after the high of his climax had subsided. For a long time they just lay there together, locked tightly with each other and neither of them dared to move while they were holding each other, smelling each other and just being one.

After more than an hour that they had been so close, Anthony broke the silence.

“I don't want anyone else to do this with you”, he whispered, and a strange fear had crept into his voice. To think anyone could be where he had been, to think anyone could see Bruce like this, feel him like this...

“I don't want you to do this with anyone else”, Bruce whispered back, the same fear in his voice. The two boys looked at each other for a long moment before they kissed deeply, sealing the unspoken connection they had just formed.

* * *

“Tony! Over here!” A few heads turned, surprised to hear the small guy shouting. The teenager had been known to be shy and quiet, but some weeks ago he had changed completely. Only a moment after his call, a dark-haired boy jogged over to the small guy. The two teenagers kissed passionately, and the secret of why the quiet boy had changed so much seemed to have been uncovered. He had a partner.

Occasionally one would see the two boys together during room changes. Whenever they met in the hallways they were dancing around each other, kissing and hugging – it was so cute that some people could not help but adore them for it.

Anthony spent as much time with Bruce as he could, inviting him over to his place and spending the school breaks with him. Sometimes, when they were not having lunch together at his home, he brought food with best wishes from his mum for Bruce to take home.

It was a rainy afternoon when Bruce was over at Anthony's place again, the elder boy's mum not at home for an important appointment. The two boys were running around outside, not minding the rain. Tony was chasing his boyfriend through the backyard, eventually catching up with him and jumping at him. They both tumbled to the floor, a mess of arms and legs.

Bruce tried to free himself and get away, but Anthony had wrapped his strong arms around the smaller boy's waist, holding him in place. Suddenly Bruce was engaged in a wild, breathtaking kiss, his back pressed into the wet ground. Wrapping his legs around Tony's hips he ground himself against the other, craving to be touched. Both of them had felt a burning need for each other, ever since they had first been united.

Both noticeably excited, they did not waste too much time with preparations. Tony had brought the few little things they needed and soon Bruce groaned as the taller boy pushed his way into him. The pain did not last long.

After a while Anthony picked the smaller boy up and carried him inside, not leaving his lovers tightness. Leaning him against the warm wall in the entrance hall, he resumed his movements, kissing him deeply, before setting him down and having him turn around to enter him from behind.

* * *

“So, you're attending the same school as Tony?”

“Two grades below him”, Bruce replied and smiled shyly at the tall, muscular man. For a moment the conversation died down, as everyone was busy eating. Then the man talked again.

“Tony said you're pretty smart, maybe you can teach that lazy bum a little.”

“Dad!”, Anthony objected, blushing a deep red. The others chuckled and Bruce put his head on the older boy's shoulder apologetically for a moment. He knew Tony was lazy, but he was also very smart.

“You two should take good care of each other, don't take anything for granted. To find a partner and have a real connection is something that doesn't happen too often”, Anthony's father explained before stuffing his mouth with his wife's delicious roast beef. Seeing the two boys look at each other he knew they did not need his words to appreciate what they have – and of course he knew that his parental wisdom was embarrassing his son.

“Mum, we're done eating, can we go upstairs?”, Anthony asked impatiently. His parents' interrogation of Bruce had lasted long enough and while they were still having dinner, Tony and Bruce had already finished.

“Go ahead”, she replied, smiling gently at the two wild boys before they ran off to Anthony's room.

“So”, Anthony started as they had successfully escaped his family and closed the door of his room behind them, “Do you need a separate mattress?” He grinned at Bruce who shook his head and grinned back. “Then it's decided, you'll sleep on the floor”, Anthony joked and poked the younger boy. Poking him back, Bruce stuck out his tongue at him. Of course he was going to share a bed with Tony.

“I can barely sleep without you at home, why would I sleep without you while I'm here?” Holding his partner close, Bruce tried not to be too excited about spending the weekend at Tony's place. Why would it be any different than usually? Except for having so much time to spend together and waking up next to the most important person on earth?

The next three hours the two of them spent in the room next door, watching TV. While they managed to stay away from each others' privates during the bath they shared afterwards, Bruce was already awaiting the touch when he felt Anthony's hand slide down his waist when they were in bed later that night.

They loved each other twice that night, wild and passionate at first, then slow and loving and cuddling until they both fell asleep, exhausted but satisfied.

* * *

“Come on! Please... don't be so mean”, Anthony whined, crawling around Bruce in circles. The smaller was sitting on the floor, reading a book for school.

“No. I'm not in the mood. Also, I have to finish this.”

Anthony pouted and tried to distract himself, but gave up after a few minutes, returning to Bruce. This time he did not ask but simply sat behind the smaller one, sinking his hands into Bruce's sweat pants. The fifteen-year-old froze in disbelief.

“What the... no! I said no! Stop that, Tony, you... oh god... please Tony, no, I can't, I have to... oh...”, his angry voice turned into a series of soft moans until the book dropped from his hands.

“Keep reading”, Anthony said breathlessly, his hands not resting.

* * *

“You know, we've been together for over a month now and I've never even been at your place yet. I so want to meet your brother, you're talking of him all the time”, Anthony said, while he was sitting in the shade of a tree on the school grounds, his young lover in his lap. He could tell by the tensing of Bruce's muscles that his request made the younger boy uncomfortable.

“Come on, your place can't be so bad and your brother sounds really nice, we can just spend an afternoon together and you'll never have to take me to your place again”, Tony joked. It just could not be that bad, why would Bruce not want him at his place?

The boy sighed, he seemed very unhappy with that plan.

“Fine. How about next Sunday? My... my dad will be home, too”, he said, shivering. What a better way to show Anthony why his place was a bad place to be than letting him meet his dad?

“That's awesome! We'll have a great time, don't worry”, Anthony hugged the small boy tightly, burying his face in the nape of the younger boy's neck. “You smell good, you know that?”, he mumbled, his voice muffled by the silky, dark hair.

* * *

After a week of ever-changing weather, Sunday happened to be foggy and humid. The sky was so clouded there was no direct light, and thus no shadows, everything was grey in grey. The twilight lasting all day was giving everything a surreal look – even more so as the streets seemed to be unusually empty.

Empty, except for two figures walking hand in hand, a small, delicate boy and a just slightly taller, energetic boy. The latter seemed to have trouble containing his energy, but he knew he should, as his friend did not seem happy at all. Now was not the time for joking around. It had been a long time since Anthony had seen Bruce so nervous and insecure.

The younger had picked his boyfriend up half an hour ago, as Tony did not know where to find the boy's house. They had been walking in silence ever since, with the only comfort Anthony could offer being to hold Bruce's hand. The longer they walked, the slower Bruce got and Tony suspected at some point he would just stop or worse – run away.

To prevent that from happening, Anthony stopped himself, drawing Bruce close and kissing him gently but determined.

“Bruce. Calm down, will you? You're so nervous I can smell it. It'll be fine. And if not, we'll just leave. Okay?” With that he wrapped his arms around the smaller boy, holding him.

For a moment it seemed like Bruce was about to cry and Tony gave him enough time to calm down. Giving him a worried look he waited for a smile to show on Bruce's face and when it appeared, even though it was insecure and small, Tony kissed the edges of it and turned to get walking again. “Keep that there”, he requested and put his arm around the younger boy's shoulders while they walked.

It took them only another ten minutes to arrive at Bruce's place. The boy had a key but before he could even get it from his bag, the front door burst open and a red and black whirlwind rushed out, throwing himself at Bruce. It was when he saw the slender figure hanging from Bruce's neck that Anthony realized it was a boy – most probably Phil, his lover's little brother, dressed in a much too large red and black shirt.

Bruce had definitely been accurate: Phil was quite a bit smaller and looked even more fragile, also his hair was slightly lighter. Turning to greet Anthony, the teenager noticed a sly pixie-grin on the boy's face.

“So you're Tooony?” Anthony blushed at the nickname-like pronunciation of his name coming from this little boy, but nodded. “Bruce's talking 'bout you all the time, like, really, non-stop.” The boy rolled his eyes, still hanging from his brother's neck. Finally Bruce picked him up, probably because his neck started hurting.

“We should go inside”, he suggested and carried his little brother inside, leading Anthony into a small, slightly dark, but tidy house. “Go get him something to drink, will you please?”, he asked of Phil and set the boy down, who immediately rushed off. “So, let's get this over with”, Bruce mumbled, more to himself than to Tony, and sighed.

The latter frowned, but said nothing, instead he followed Bruce as the younger led him towards a door in the back of the hallway. Behind it appeared to be a small office, with a tall, skinny man haunched over a messy desk. His dark hair was getting white in some places, it was bushy and not at all as silky as Bruce's. Still, Anthony guessed this was his boyfriend's father.

Who, as the two boys entered, did not react. At all.

“Dad... Tony's over. Remember, I told you about him”, Bruce said, his voice so quiet and insecure Anthony was not even sure his dad could have heard it.

“Mh. Fine. Go play something or whatever”, the man grunted without looking up. Bruce opened his mouth to reply and started a word but his father spun waved his hand in dismissal. “I said leave me alone.” His voice had a lurking aggression to it and before Tony knew what happened, Bruce was dragging him out of the study into what appeared to be the living room where Phil was waiting with two glasses of juice.

“He's always like that. At best.” Bruce's voice was a low growl of such a dark, angry kind Tony would not have thought Bruce was even able to make. “I'm sorry, Tony. This place is not the nice home you know.” Bruce suppressed a sigh. Phil stared at his older brother and there was a shimmer of worry in his eyes. As soon as the two elder boys were sitting, Phil climbed into Bruce's lap, hugging him possessively.

“It's fine, Bruce, really. It's not your fault. I'm here to spend time with you, and with your brother. We'll have fun, don't worry”, Tony repeated what had told his lover so often already. Don't worry. But Bruce seemed to worry a lot.

“We can play in my room!”, Phil suggested, obviously happy he was getting to spend some time with his brother. Anthony realized he might have occupied Bruce quite a lot lately, leaving not much time for Phil to be around him. He felt sorry for the little guy, but Bruce was his boyfriend after all.

“Sure, I'd love to see your room”, Tony replied. He was trying to make friends with Phil, partly because the boy was a poor kid to have a dad like this, and partly because Tony wanted to please Bruce. The latter picked his brother up again and Tony thoughtfully carried their glasses while he followed the two brothers to Phil's room.

It was small and cramped and messy, full of toys. Most of them were huge, stuffed, brick-shaped pillows, which the three boys soon used to build a big castle, involving some chairs and blankets, too. Unfortunately they ended up being enslaved my mighty King Philius and had to work for him until they were old and grey. But it was definitely worth the fun.

When it was time for Anthony to go home, Phil was almost sad. Tony ruffled his hair and promised to swing by now and again, which lightened the little boy's mood. Then Bruce brought him to the front door, kissing him for a long time before he let go of the elder.

“I had a lot of fun today”, Tony said and smiled, holding his boyfriend close. “If you want, you can bring your brother over for lunch some day. My mum will love him.” They smiled at each other, knowing how caring she was.

* * *

“Over here!”, Phil shouted and a split-second later, the ball was flying into his direction. Even though Anthony was taller than both of the other boys, he was having a hard time with this game. The two brother's had teamed up and were throwing a ball over his head, which Anthony was supposed to catch. If he caught it, the boy who had thrown the ball last was going to be in the middle next. Of course, both Bruce and Tony let the twelve-year-old Phil win, however, Bruce did not go one bit easy on his lover.

Just when Phil was about to throw the ball again, Tony threw himself at the little boy, tackling him to the ground. “Got it”, Anthony grinned and grabbed the ball, throwing it at Bruce before he started tickling the boy beneath him.

“No! Stop”, Phil squealed, giggling. “No fair!”

Bruce joined them and held his brother down while Anthony was poking his ribs, tickling his tummy and laughing along with him. When Phil seemed exhausted and out of breath, they stopped, helping him sit up. Bruce leaned over to kiss his partner and Phil grimaced.

“That's disgusting, man”, he complained and made a gagging noise. “You're sucking his face!”

“Oh shut it, Phil”, Bruce replied, pushing the boy's shoulder playfully. “You'll get there some day, just wait.” And he kissed Tony again, just to tease his little brother. Not that Anthony minded much.

“Cookies anyone?” Three heads turned at Tony's mother's voice, three boys jumped to there feet, rushing over as though said cookies were going to disappear if they were too slow to get them. The woman chuckled, holding out a plate of chocolate cookies to them. She really liked those two boys and she was glad her son had such good friends – especially with one of them being his partner.

* * *

  
  



	2. Chapter Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Underage warning because 16 and 17 are still both not 18.
> 
> “Didn't you like the time we spent? Didn't you have fun? Who is he to forbid you to have fun? You were still always waiting for him, and he didn't even wait for you to explain yourself. He's the one who messed up, not you.”
> 
> Tony has a regular childhood and loving parents. Bruce and Phil are brothers. Steve is there to save the day! Fluffy teen romance, some darker drama stuff in this chapter, too. (Avengers AU)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Serious warnings: This story contains some darker matter, such as sexual activity that could be considered reluctant at best, if not non-consensual. A lot of despair, things that should be considered self-harming and child abuse in terms of negligence. I personally would not consider anything of the following graphic, but please be cautious if you know you are sensitive to these topics. 
> 
> Warnings: Romance. Also, some sexy stuff that isn't supposed to be sexy. It's just part of the plot and more mentioned than described.  
> If you like, you can find the rest of my ramblings about this story in the end notes.

Bruce's heart was racing, he could not breathe. Everywhere around him was darkness. Deep, cold, suffocating darkness. He screamed – and awoke with a start.

“Bruce! Bruce, calm down... it was just a dream. You're fine. I'm here”, Tony whispered, his voice pure worry. He held his boyfriend tight in his arms, pulling the boy's head close to rest on his chest. Only very slowly Bruce calmed down and after a while he had fallen asleep again. Anthony stayed up, watching over Bruce for quite a while before he dozed off.

The next morning, Anthony woke up by his lips being kissed gently. He smiled. Was this not the best thing to wake to?

“Hey... you alright, Bruce?”, he asked, remembering the night.

“Sure, why wouldn't I be?”, Bruce asked back, blinking at his mate in confusion. So, Tony thought, he doesn't remember. It's been almost a year and he never remembers. It's probably for the better.

“Nothing. I had a weird dream”, he lied and kissed Bruce, drawing him close. “I love you.”

* * *

With a bunch of tests coming up, Anthony spent the next week without Bruce, seeing him only at school. It was horrible for both of them, Tony felt like he could not concentrate at all, but his parents were strict when it came to school and so his relationship had to wait. Even for a while before the tests, Bruce had had to spend an increasing amount of time on his own, as Tony's other friends felt neglected all too easily and it never really came to Bruce's mind that he could just spend time with Tony and his friends.

Then, when the tests were finally done, Tony got sick and could not attend school for another one and a half a weeks. He had not managed to notify Bruce, who probably thought Anthony was still studying and therefore did not show up, even though Tony was sure seeing Bruce would have helped him get well so much quicker.

When he was finally back at school, he wanted to surprise Bruce with a box of the cookies he and his brother had liked so much. As soon as the first two lessons were over and it rang for the break, Anthony rushed out of the classroom to meet Bruce at their usual place. When he got there, however, the boy boy was not there. Anthony waited all break but his lover did not show up.

Maybe he was sick, too? Or maybe he was just not sure if Anthony was back already? Knowing Bruce, the younger boy had probably thought Bruce was already back at school but had simply not shown up to meet with him. Silly boy...

Tony could have told Bruce that he was sick, but without being invited, his boyfriend had not dared showing up at Tony's home. And, as Tony had found out, Bruce was not allowed to use his father's phone. This had left the communication between them pretty much at zero for the past few weeks.

Disappointed the seventeen-year-old made his way back inside, when suddenly he saw a familiar face at the school gates. Or rather, part of a familiar face, as most of it was occupied by the mouth of a tall dark-haired man. Anthony stared for a few more moments, before he slowly made his way over to them. Could this be...?

“Bruce!”, he screamed at the couple, standing only a couple feet away now. As the two people stopped kissing, startled, staring at the teenager, Tony could see an expression of shock spread slowly across Bruce's face. Anthony glared at him, then walked over and smacked him right across the face before storming off, throwing the metal box he had been carrying hard at the ground, spilling its content all over the place. He was not going back to school, but running home. He did not look back. He could not.

Why? Why would Bruce do that to him? After all they had shared. After how close they had been. Anthony did not even try to stop the tears from streaming down his face, he was terribly hurt. His chest was aching like someone had ripped out a part of it.

* * *

Even now that he was holding him, Joshua had no idea how he could not have noticed this cute little guy before. That was, not until the latter had caught everyone's attention by being the more desirable part of the school's most adorable couple. Due to their recent fame among their school mates, it was easy for Joshua to find out the name of his object of desire: Bruce.

Bruce was the cute little boy who was persistently, but pleasantly haunting Joshua's dreams at all times of night and day. However, who was the nineteen-year-old to interfere with a relationship of love? For all those weeks, Joshua had not as much as spoken to the boy. It was not until his increasingly sad face had caught Joshua's attention that the elder started to wait for Bruce after school, catching him and getting to know him.

Soon he found out about the sixteen-year-old's trouble with his father, his fear of losing Anthony and being left alone again. When Anthony had suddenly disappeared and Bruce spent his breaks alone, Joshua made his move.

“Hey there! Didn't he show up again?” Bruce had told Joshua that he and Tony had not seen each other in a while and Tony was not to be found anywhere at school – presumably because he was too busy learning. However, Bruce had also expressed the concern that Tony was distancing himself from him, using school as an excuse. Of course Joshua had discreetly tried to fuel this fire of anxious suspicion.

Instead of replying, Bruce broke into tears and Joshua hurried over to hold and comfort the younger boy.

“He'll leave me! He already did! He'll never come back to me!”, the sixteen-year-old sobbed and Joshua almost felt bad for him. Almost. This cute little mess of confused hormones and messed up childhood – it was going to be so easy.

“Come now, maybe he just forgot? Maybe he'll be back in a few days, just be patient. Hey! How about this: I'll spend the afternoon with you, to get your mind off things. What do you think?” Bruce looked up at him and for a moment Joshua just dived head-first into these adorable eyes.

“Would you do that? That's... very kind of you, Joshua ”, the boy sniffed and wiped the tears off his face.

“Bruce, please. I like spending time with you. I really can't understand how Tony can make you wait like this.” Joshua's endearing words were rewarded with a tight hug and another small sob. He took in the boy's sweet scent, looking forward to spending a great – hopefully even a little intimate – afternoon with him.

Said afternoon turned out to stretch into the evening as well. Bruce talked about Anthony most of the time, but in the end Joshua managed to get his mind off the other boy and they talked about sports and history and science – their respective favourite subjects. Both of them agreed on meeting again the next day, in case Tony kept not showing up, which Joshua secretly hoped for.

It was their fourth afternoon, one week since Bruce had met his boyfriend last, if only briefly, and Joshua noticed the boy had not mentioned his boyfriend even once. So he decided it was time to move on, the two kids would probably break up soon anyway, if they not already had.

“Isn't that beautiful?”, Joshua asked the sixteen-year-old sitting in his lap. The were watching the sunset from Joshua's room, which was up on a hill, thus offering them a perfect view of the scenery. Joshua felt the boy shift and turn to look up at him, probably to say something, but before Bruce could make a sound, Joshua had locked their lips. Bruce froze for a moment, his whole body going tense in protest – and then, to the surprise of both of them, he shuddered and gave in to the kiss.

“You're crying!”, Joshua noticed as he broke the kiss, holding Bruce close. Inwardly he was grinning triumphantly – Bruce was obviously saying his goodbyes to Tony.

* * *

When Bruce heard Tony's voice, he was so startled he did not even feel the punch to his face. Then, all of a sudden, his body was engulfed by waves of confusion and hurt, shame and regret. Bruce broke down crying, only Joshua's strong arms preventing him from actually sinking to the ground.

“Let's get you home...”, Joshua mumbled after a while and picked the boy up, carrying him to his own place. He set Bruce down on the bed, gently stroking his silky hair to calm him down. When Bruce had stopped sobbing all that hard, Joshua attempted to kiss him, but for the first time, Bruce turned his face away.

“Don't... please. I ruined everything, I... he hates me now! I should've known he'd come back to me! I'm so stupid!”

Joshua was taken aback by the fact he had just been rejected, but he chose to take things a little slower and in return win Bruce for himself completely.

“Come now, Bruce... don't be so harsh on yourself. He didn't show up for so long, he can't just make you wait for him like that, he has no right to do that. And he had no right to punch you. He's treating you horribly and it hurts me to see you hurt like that”, Joshua comforted the boy. “Didn't you like the time we spent? Didn't you have fun? Who is he to forbid you to have fun? You were still always waiting for him, and he didn't even wait for you to explain yourself. He's the one who messed up, not you.”

Bruce started sobbing again, he sat up and put his arms around Joshua tightly. What the elder said sounded so right, he wanted to believe that it was true, but still it hurt to lose Anthony like this. Bruce was shaking, he was so afraid of being alone again. In his mind, the darkness returned, the feeling of all the lonely hours. He did not want to be alone again! He did not want to lose himself in these dark, suffocating thoughts again.

“Please don't leave me alone...”, he heard himself whisper, holding on to the only person he had left to steady and support him. “Please, promise me you'll never leave me alone.”

Joshua continued to stroke the boy's back, holding him just as tightly. “I promise, Bruce. I will never leave you, I'll always be here for you.” And for a long while they just sat together, holding each other, Bruce slowly but surely calming down, comforting himself with the fact that at least he had Joshua and that Joshua had promised to be there for him.

Then, suddenly, both of them stirred and Joshua found himself surprised by the force with which Bruce pressed his lips against the his. It was the power of despair that led the younger, and Joshua knew how to use it. Gently he kissed the boy back and they stayed like this for a long time. Then, after a while, Joshua slowly lowered Bruce onto the bed, kissing him more passionately, tasting his lips, his tongue, his mouth.

Joshua's hands caressed the boy's body, while Bruce held on to him like a drowning child. It excited Joshua to find a body so much smaller, so fragile below himself. He was quite a bit older than Bruce and yet here he was, his hands feeling the slender body, running down until they found the sixteen-year-old's hips

Now that Tony had left him, really, really left him, Bruce felt like nothing mattered. If Joshua wanted to have him, Bruce would let him do anything, as long as it kept him from walking away, even though it shamed him that he was moaning form another man's touch than Tony's and that his body reacted so intensely to Joshua's scent and the feeling of his body, no matter how far away his mind was. A part of him wanted to scream in protest, but he did not and Joshua's skilful touch carried his mind away soon, far enough to only grunt and gasp every now and again.

“It's all good now... you made me very happy, Bruce... I will never leave you”, Joshua whispered exhausted. Bruce had not even noticed it was over. He had no idea for how long they had been laying there, on the bed, Joshua holding him in his arms just that one bit too tightly.

* * *

“Come now... don't be like that, Bruce. You want me around, don't you?”, Joshua pressured and attempted to kiss Bruce once more, the younger standing in front of him with his back to the wall. Joshua's last words got the boy and he reluctantly gave in, letting the elder kiss him. He felt the nineteen-year-old's greedy hands grope him and pull him closer.

“Please, can we do that later? I want to go home, I still have homework to do for school”, Bruce asked, as Joshua turned him around to face the wall, caressing the boy's stomach.

“I want you now... I need you so much, Bruce, you can't make me wait longer. Please, if I can't have you I need to see someone else, we both don't want that, right?” As the boy shook his head, Joshua smirked. So easy to manipulate...

“I promise it won't take long, okay? I'll just... really quickly...”

Fortunately for Bruce, Joshua kept his promise.

“I'll see you tomorrow at school”, Joshua whispered, kissing Bruce's cheek before he walked off to the showers. Bruce looked after him, leaning his back against the gym's wall to support his trembling body. He hated himself for doing this, but it was better than being alone, Bruce told himself. It took him a few more minutes before he could walk out of the dark alley between the gym and the showers with an almost straight face.

* * *

“Hey, there you are. Sorry for being late”, Joshua laughed and scooped the little boy up into his strong arms. Bruce's face tensed up in what he thought was a smile, being held close. If it wasn't for Joshua, he would be all alone. Over the elder boy's shoulder, Bruce spotted Anthony in the crowd, joking with his friends. It hurt so much to see him, yet being unable to talk to him or even approach him. Bruce simply did not dare. Quickly, he turned his attention back to Joshua , who guided him over to a group of people.

“I think you should meet some friends of mine. Bruce, this is our school's football-team. Everyone, this is Bruce.” The boy smiled shyly at the tall men, all of them about eighteen, nineteen years of age. Standing next to the muscular men, Bruce feels insignificant, small and vulnerable.

* * *

Tony glared at Bruce's back. Not only had that boy left him without a word of warning, he had left him to be with Joshua instead. The one person Anthony had always adored and idealized. What had Tony done wrong?

Probably nothing, he mused. There was no way he could ever measure up to someone like Joshua. But still, he had thought the connection between Bruce and him was something special. Something that was far beyond mere attraction. Was? Or had been? Sighing sadly, Tony turned back to his friends, who did their best to cheer him up. It had been so long since he had last talked to Bruce... it still hurt to see him so close, yet so far away...

For almost two weeks now, Anthony had debated going over to Bruce and just talk to him about things. Just ask about what had gone wrong and maybe give things a second chance. However, he never dared to, especially not while Bruce was around Joshua.

However, one day after class, Anthony decided to try his luck. He was going to go see Bruce at his place, this weekend. Considering how long it had taken the younger to let Tony see his family, Joshua would definitely not be there.

So, on Saturday, Anthony grabbed his bag and made his way to Bruce's place. He hesitated to knock, not sure what he was going to say, but finally got over himself and knocked. To his surprise, Phil opened the door.

“Tony! You haven't been here for so long”, the boy complained, but seemed too happy to see Anthony to really care.

“Hey... Phil... listen, is Bruce home?” Nervously Tony tried to peek inside the dark house.

The boy shook his head. “He's not here. But can you please come inside and... play with me? Maybe he'll be home soon”, Phil begged, obviously feeling lonely without his brother and seeming embarrassed to ask at all.

Anthony felt like someone had struck him across the face. Bruce was not home. So he was probably at Joshua's place. He should have known... It was the most likely place for Bruce to be, why did it hurt so terribly to think about it? How could Bruce hurt him so badly?

Anthony looked down at Phil, knowing that this house was the last place either of them wanted to be. But they were both being left alone by Bruce, so why not join forces?

“Sure I'll come in”, he said and smiled, following the eager boy inside. On entering the living room, Tony noticed a single piece of cake, with a candle crookedly sticking out of it.

“What's this?”, Tony asked and pointed at it.

“It's... it's my birthday cake. I left a piece for Bruce, but you can have it, if you want”, he said and Tony heard a bitterness in his voice that he made him shiver. No thirteen-year-old boy was supposed to be able to sound like that.

“Your birthday? It's today?”, Tony asked, guessing Bruce would be home soon then. Phil was probably expecting his brother, why else would he set up the cake like this instead of putting it in the fridge? Maybe Bruce was just –

“Two days ago”, Phil said, his voice a choked whisper and suddenly Tony could feel it, he could feel the loneliness weighing the boy down, the whole louring, empty house suffocating both of them. And just like that Phil shrugged as though it was nothing and the moment collapsed.

* * *

Slowly but surely, Bruce was starting to warm to the other guys. Joshua's friends were really funny, even though their sort of humour was a little rough. He was sitting in Joshua's lap, shyly huddled against him, but smiling. They had all gathered in the group room the school offered to its team, even though only a minority of the six young men were actually part of the team. The older guys were telling stories of things they had done, of pranks and love and sex.

Those stories were quite exciting and Bruce was feeling a little aroused himself. He had noticed something hard poking his back a long time ago. While a big, blonde guy was telling about how he had been out with two men the other day, Joshua tapped Bruce's shoulder to make him turn around and kissed him passionately.

The talk behind them died down as though everyone had just been waiting for this. Joshua slipped a hand into Bruce's pants, still kissing him deeply.

“N-no, Joshua ... not... not here, all the others, they're-”, Bruce started but was cut off by Joshua.

“Bruce, can you do something for me?”, the elder whispered seductively. “It would mean a lot to me, I would love you so much for it.” Slowly, Bruce nodded. Joshua leaned closer to him and whispered into his ear. “My friends mean a lot to me, you know? Anything I have, I share with them.”

Bruce felt like his insides had been filled with ice, he wanted to get away from here as quickly as he could, but he knew Joshua would leave him for that. It seemed to be so important to him. Bruce stammered something incomprehensible, his voice giving in. He was afraid. Joshua smiled and kissed him reassuringly before he nodded towards the others. They had obviously already talked about this.

The huge guy who had spoken last approached them and while Bruce was still sitting on Joshua's lap, the bear started kissing him roughly. Bruce flinched but made no other move or sound.

“Thank you, Bruce”, Joshua whispered and stroked the sixteen-year-old's back comforting. Bruce could not breathe for a moment.

“No!”, he screamed and kicked at the bear, who backed up surprised. “No, no, no...!”, the boy repeated and jumped off Joshua's lap, his face pale as bedsheets, storming out of the room. Joshua and his friends just stared after him in surprise.

Bruce did not care for his tears or the violent sobbing that shook his body, he just ran on blindly, until he was close to passing out. He could not breathe, his chest was stabbing and burning and he was still sobbing so hard it hurt. He had reached Tony's house. Without thinking he rang the door-bell and after a while, the door opened – and Tony stared at the hysterical boy for a moment, before he closed him into his arms tightly.

* * *

“Aren't they cute?”

“I know right?! Like, how he holds him?”

The girls giggled and moved on, chatting about the two teen-aged boys sharing an ice-cream cone on one of the benches. It was a really nice day to sit outside and everyone seemed to be in a good mood. The two boys especially. Never before had anyone seen a boy grinning so much and had Anthony Stark been a dog, he would have been wagging his tail so wildly it would have kept him from sitting properly.

It seemed like Tony and Bruce had never been apart. But if one took a closer look, something was different. The lingering fear that something was still not right, that one of them would just get up and leave at any time was still between them and filled the air between them with a nervous static.

And with all those jolly people, there was one man far from happy. Joshua stood a couple of feet away, watching Bruce and Tony, a fiercely burning jealousy searing his insides. As the two boys got up to go home, he followed them through the city, until they were exactly where he wanted them.

The boys were taking a short-cut through a couple of alleys, winding between shops. It was already getting dark and they were joking, jostling each other's shoulders playfully. As they were walking slowly, Joshua had no trouble catching up with them. Grabbing Bruce by the neck, he pulled the little boy close before pushing him up against a wall.

“You are mine, Bruce. You wanted me to never leave you and now this? This pathetic little girl calls for you and you come running?”

“Tony...”, Bruce whispered, even though he had meant to shout. But the other heard him nonetheless, and he had not even needed to be asked for help to race towards them and throw himself at Joshua .

“You son of a bitch”, Joshua growled and let go of Bruce, tackling Tony to the ground and punching him hard in the guts, causing the boy to gasp and double over in pain. Just as he struck out for a second punch, his arm was grabbed from behind and he was jerked back hard, a huge, towering figure wrestling him to the ground, while Bruce hurried over to Tony, helping his boyfriend sit up.

* * *

Steve had followed Joshua around for some time. After the torrents of hatred the nineteen-year-old had let lose after training, Steve had suspected Joshua to pull off some kind of act. However, he had never expected Joshua to go this far.

The blonde man punched Joshua one last time, the sound it made implying that he had probably broken his team-mate's nose.

“Now get the hell away from here, before I take care of some other parts of your body”, Steve growled as Joshua scampered off. “Don't you dare touching either of them again...” Steve got up and brushed the dirt off his clothes. He was more than tall, he was huge, but his face was gentle as soon as he turned to face the two boys, all the rage wiped off it at once.

“Are you two okay?”, he asked and the two boys nodded, Bruce keeping his boyfriend steady. The younger did recognize the blonde bear from the team, but he had not seen him in the room when Joshua had asked for his favour. What was his name again?

“I'm Steve. Sorry for Joshua, I'll make sure he won't try something like that again. Wait, Bruce, right? Let me help you”, the tall man offered and picked Anthony up, carrying him bridal style. “Lead the way, little guy, we'll get him home.”

And that they did. After Steve had explained to Tony's mum what had happened, she invited him to stay for dinner. While the two boys still seemed to be intimidated by his sheer size, she simply was grateful for his help.

As great as his body was also Steve's appetite, but nobody really minded that. During the meal, they found out he was eighteen, and aspiring to join the army. He seemed like a really nice guy, his voice, though deep and firm, was very gentle and his laugh was a joyful, almost boyish chuckle.

Tony and Bruce lay awake long that night, talking about Steve and how cool he was, admiring him. And so they decided to invite him over again, to thank him once more for his help and learn more about him.

They all met at Tony's place on Sunday and while Phil was running around playing ball with himself, the three of them were sitting in the shadow of a large tree, the couple leaning against Steve's body.

“You know, I really want a kid one day”, Steve sighed, and both boys' bodies vibrated from the deep sound. “But I... I really can't imagine to be with a woman. I mean, I like women, I just... can't imagine living with one. I don't want to live with a woman, I just want a kid.”

Bruce and Anthony nodded emphatically.

“I had a younger brother, but he moved away with my dad a while ago. I just really miss having someone to protect and care for and...” Steve sighed again, seeming really upset about all this. Neither Anthony nor Bruce knew how to help him, it was not like children grew on trees – or like they had spent a lot of thought on having a family of their own and raising kids.

“Maybe you'll find a girl you do like? Some don't look so different from guys, and maybe she'll be really nice?”, Bruce said and cuddled himself a little more into the tall man's warm form. It was amazing to be with someone so tall and muscular, who was so surprisingly comfortable. There was no sexual attraction between them at all and Tony felt the same, it was just nice to be around Steve.

“Maybe you're right”, Steve said and shrugged. He liked being around the kids, he felt less pressure to be someone he did not want to be than when he was with guys his age. They were all showing off their stories and tried to impress each other so hard, it was really annoying.

A while later, the three of them had joined Phil's game of playing ball and Steve showed them all some pretty cool tricks he had learned in training. They ran and laughed and wrestled, Steve always keeping his size and strength in mind, as to not hurt the boys.

Days like this quickly grew to be a routine. Every Sunday the four of them would meet at Anthony's place and just hang out and as the days grew colder and they were not spending so much time outside, Steve started reading books to them, his deep voice absorbing their minds, dragging them right into the stories.

And then, shortly after the first snow, Tony suggested to make a sleep-over party. He invited Bruce and Phil and Steve over and they spent the evening watching a film, before Steve insisted on cooking for all of them, including Tony's parents. Especially Mrs Stark was more than pleased by his cooking skills and they enjoyed a great dinner.

After their customary reading session, they were all tired, but content. They were going to share Tony's room, Bruce and Tony up in the bed and Steve and Phil each on a mattress on the floor.

It was past midnight, as Steve suddenly woke up. He found the reason for that a moment later, as he noticed the small boy cuddled up against him. Phil had obviously felt lonely and was now pressing his little back against Joshua.

Steve smiled. Phil was so small he almost disappeared next to him. Wrapping an arm around the little boy protectively, Steve went back to sleep.

* * *

“Steve, can you do us a favour?”, Tony asked, blushing slightly. The blonde man looked down at him and shrugged.

“Sure?”

“Well, Bruce and I... kinda... wanna spend some time together. Could you watch Phil for a little?”

Steve chuckled and ruffled Tony's hair. “Sure.” After last night, Steve had become very thoughtful whenever he remembered feeling this thin form of a human next to him, curled up as though there were all kinds of monsters out to get him. He liked the boy and Phil seemed to trust him.

So, Steve and Phil ended up taking a walk. It was freezing cold and after a while Steve noticed the boy was shivering. Opening his coat, he wrapped his arm and one half of the heavy, warm coat around the younger one, keeping him warm. He smiled to himself and they kept walking for a while, until they reached a bridge, arching over a small, frozen river. Steve sat down, still holding and warming the thirteen-year-old in his arm and after a while he noticed Phil had fallen asleep. Smiling down on him, Steve held the boy a little tighter.

When Phil woke up after a while, Steve looked down at him smiling. “Hey, little one. You alright?”, he asked, his voice low and warm. Phil nodded and smiled back. “Are you cold?”, Steve asked and Phil shook his head. Then they both fell quiet for a while.

“You're like a father, but nicer”, Phil broke the silence, his voice serious.

“Mmh”, Steve rumbled and smiled a little.

It was not until Phil sat up and gave him a kiss on the cheek that Steve stirred and stared at him. His face tingled where Phil's lips had touched him and he felt a warm restlessness inside him – which he was very sure was the wrong thing to feel.

“Phil...”, he mumbled, not sure how to react.

“Bruce is very happy”, Phil said and stunned Steve with confusion.

“Yeah, I guess so”, the elder said, frowning.

“Can you hold me like Tony holds my brother?”, Phil asked and looked up at Joshua, his face both worried and hopeful. “Can you kiss me like Tony kissed him?”

Steve was thrown off his guard. “Phil that... I shouldn't... I'm...”, he stammered and his heart ached and he was taken aback by how much he wanted to say yes. “You're so young, Phil. I'm... too old for us to do that.” He hoped the boy would understand. But he did not.

“But I like you”, Phil sulked. “I want someone, too. Everyone always forgets me”, he said and his voice gave in before he started to cry in such a lost and awfully sad way only a lonely child can cry. It pained Steve to see him like that and he held the little guy in his arms, trying to comfort him.

“Hey... Phil...”, he mumbled, but could not find the right words. Thinking of how close Bruce and Anthony were, he could see why Phil would feel left behind. For a thirteen-year-old to be alone all the time and see the only person in his life being happy like that – with someone else...

“I will not forget you, I promise you.”

* * *

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, that was the second chapter. Lots of drama and complications. One more chapter to go ;) By now it's seven in the morning, I apologise for any weird mistakes that my sleepy head has made. 
> 
> As usually, I appreciate comments, ideas and suggestions - or really anything in terms of reactions. 
> 
> Also, I don't know how to turn off the notes of the first chapter being shown in the second chapter. Maybe one day I will find out. Please bear with me.


	3. Chapter Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Underage warning because 16 is still not 18.
> 
> "... It was hard to withstand Steve's deep, friendly voice. It was warm and comfortable like a shared bed in a winter night, with just as much of a hint of roughness as a pinch of cinnamon in a cup of sweet tea."
> 
> Tony has a regular childhood and loving parents. Bruce and Phil are brothers. Phil really likes Steve a lot... Fluffy teen romance, some sexy stuff, too. (Avengers AU)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Serious warnings: This chapter contains unwanted and reluctantly accepted sexual advances. 
> 
> Warnings: Romance. Also, some sexy stuff, this time supposed to be at least a little sexy. Nothing I would consider straight up pornographic, but, you know, my judgement of these things may be kind of generous.  
> If you like, you can find the rest of my ramblings about this story in the end notes.

* * *

“I can't believe you did that!”

“You heard that guy. You know I can't work like that, I hate teamwork”, Anthony Stark complained to the young man walking besides him.

“I did not hear that guy. I only heard of your act of stupidity – from you, just now. And I can... I cannot believe you did that! It's no wonder you have no job, you... you have to make sacrifices and...”

“Working for someone is a sacrifice in itself...”

“... and teamwork is required everywhere these days...”

“Not if I work for myself!”

“Tony, you... what will you do? Standing around and looking pretty won't earn you any money!” By the way Tony's jaw muscles worked, Bruce had taken things a step too far, even though his question was more than justified. Nobody really had a clue what Tony was planning to do with his life, after practically doing nothing but working on silly private projects of his. Somehow Bruce was not so sure Tony himself knew what he was going to do.

“You know, within the past two years, you're the first person to actually ask me that”, Tony said and suddenly all the tension was gone from the air, leaving an awkward emptiness.

“I don't... think... Tony, that can't -”

“'You should do this. Why don't you try that? Haven't you tried this yet? What about the other thing?' Two years, Bruce, two years and nothing but that. I don't want to do a job that I hate for the rest of my life, no matter how much money it would earn me. I want to do what I love, and if I starve because of it, so be it”, Tony said wilfully, his arms crossed in front of his chest.

“You know I would not let that happen”, Bruce said softly, moving over to plant a kiss on his lover's cheek. “What is your plan, though? You say you want to do what you love, what is that going to be? Because whatever it is, please tell me it's going to get you out of your parents' home. Don't get me wrong, I love your parents, but you're not sixteen any more. We can't keep sharing your teenage-bed in your teenage-bedroom for another three years. We need... space, Tony.”

“Are you asking me to move in with you?”, Tony asked and grinned, hoping to avoid the subject of himself getting a proper life – the grin falling off his face, when Bruce did not even flinch at the thought.

* * *

After dinner, Anthony and Bruce joined Tony's parents in the living room. Steve was upstairs, Talking to Phil, who had been especially moody during the meal today. Puberty at its finest. Bruce was glad Steve and Phil were so close, his little brother could really use a friend. Being sixteen was tough.

Bruce himself sat in Anthony's lap, leaning against the older boy's chest. They were both watching a film on the TV, but Bruce soon got distracted by Tony's heartbeat in his back. It was a lot more pleasant than the film anyway.

On the couch next to the love seat they were sharing Mr and Mrs Stark sat next to each other, Tony's mother reading a book while his dad was working his way through a crossword puzzle on the back of a magazine. It was his weekend routine and Bruce knew that Mr Stark always sent his solutions in to take part in a lottery for various prizes. Once he had even won his family a mixer.

“I have to get going.” Steve's voice made the four of them look up.

“Will you join us for lunch next Saturday?”, Tony's mum asked the blonde man. Ever since Steve had joined their family table three years ago, he was around almost as often as Bruce and Phil and they all were family to her. Not that her real family minded at all, Anthony loved being with his friends and his dad was happy as long as nobody disturbed his crossword-time.

“Sure, thank you. I can pick up Phil and Bruce, too”, Steve said, raising his voice to make it a question.

“We'll be here on Friday already, but thanks”, Bruce remarked. Steve shrugged, smiled, waved and went home, still pondering on the talk he had had with Phil earlier. So many things had changed over the years, but some things seemed to never change. Even though he was older now, when Phil was with Steve, he was still the lonely little boy. Steve felt bad for even going home.

* * *

The high pitched squeal of a sixteen-year-old boy filled the air, joined by the laughter of his older brother and his boyfriend. Soon, however, all of their voices changed to tormented screams, as they tried to escape the cold and wet load of snow Steve had dumped on them. The bear of a man gave a satisfied chuckle and picked up Phil, throwing him over his shoulders.

“That's cheating!”, Bruce pouted, trying to brush the melting snow out of his hair. “We're throwing snow balls, not dumping truckloads of snow on other people.” Anthony nodded and shook the water off his clothes, wetting all the others in the process.

“It's not my fault you're all so tiny. I'm bigger, and my balls are bigger, too.”

Steve gave the boys a confused look, when they broke out in hysterical laughter. “Oh please... snow balls, guys. Really, you're...”, he groaned, but grinned. “Anyway, I think we clearly beat you and now it's time for hot chocolate and a story, don't you think?”

They all agreed and stormed inside, being greeted by an armload of towels and Anthony's smiling mother, who made sure they were properly dry before she let them out of the entrance hall and into her house. Hot chocolate and cookies were already waiting for them in the living room and as they all cuddled up as they had done for years – Tony and Bruce sharing a blanket and Phil just cuddling up in Steve's lap – even Tony's mother joined them for this evening's story.

It was hard to withstand Steve's deep, friendly voice. It was warm and comfortable like a shared bed in a winter night, with just as much of a hint of roughness as a pinch of cinnamon in a cup of sweet tea.

* * *

“Oh god, it's freezing”, Bruce whispered, his words lingering in the air as little grey clouds. Anthony wrapped his arms around the smaller boy from behind, kissing his cheek.

“I know. I'll warm you up”, he said. They both fell quiet for a while, watching the snow fall. There was no sound except for their breathing, not even wind stirring the leaves of the trees around them. Most sensible people were sleeping at this time of night – and the rest of them at least stayed inside. But it was this lonesome, silent atmosphere that had drawn Anthony and Bruce outside for a midnight walk.

They did not walk too far, just to the forest a few minutes away from Tony's place. They were standing right on the edge of it, sheltered from the snow and the occasional gust of wind and ice by the trees. It seemed like they had left one world and now watched it be covered in white, while they were standing outside of it, warming each other.

The silence, the desertion of the world around them made them feel like they were the only two people on earth. It was a scary feeling, but at the same time it send a tingle of heat, a shiver of excitement through both of them.

Bruce felt Anthony's arms wrapped around his chest, holding him close. Every time Tony breathed out, the hot air against his neck made Bruce shiver, it raised his hair and he felt as though he was melting in Tony's arms. Anthony's hand slowly moved lower, now resting on Bruce's hips. His breath quickened. The cold made him feel so sensitive to his lover's heat...

A small lump of snow dropped from a tree down into Bruce's neck. He gasped, the start rushing through his body, the sudden cold almost burning, the melting snow trickling down his skin, down his back, stopping right above his tail. Tony's hand moved further to his front, massaging his hips and thighs.

Bruce sank into the heat that was rising up inside him, burning inside him, just to be shocked out of it when another lump of snow met his neck. He moaned and shuddered and at the same time Anthony's hand moved below the waistband of his pants. A jolt of heat was sent up through his body, making his legs feel weak and his head spin. Tony's hot breath kept sending shivers through his body, whenever it hit the cold spots that the snow had left. Suddenly Tony's other hand left Bruce's body, making the boy feel oddly unsupported, as though he could tumble off the world any second. It was a strange sense of panic that rose inside him, mingled with immense pleasure, helplessness and heat and icy, burning cold.

When another rush of cold ran through Bruce's body, he knew where Tony's hand had gone. Bruce could feel the pointy tip of an icicle press against his neck, moving across his skin until it rested against his throat. His body realized the threat and Bruce moaned helplessly, his mind unable to distinguish lust from panic any longer. Cold water dripped down the his chest.

Now the air was filled with panting and moaning and gasps – and suddenly it was split by a scream, when Bruce's legs finally gave in and he fell off the cliff that was the edge of the world, only to be caught in his lover's arms, shaking and shivering and groaning in powerful ecstasy.

* * *

“... and as the beating of her heart felt weaker and weaker beneath his hand, Harold closed his eyes. He realised that there was nothing he could do for her, nothing to save her, nothing to give her back the years of her life that should have come. And thus ended the last night Harold Fartham would hold his little daughter in his arms.”

Steve closed the book. It had cost him a lot of effort not to let his voice crack. He could see Anthony's mother blinking away the tears, while her son and the two brothers were openly crying. Anthony and Bruce held each other in their arms, while Phil found comfort in Steve's lap, the man's large hand protectively lying on his back.

The story of Harold Fartham was one of Steve's favourite stories and it always made him feel very aware of the people in his life. He was thankful for having them – and now, he noticed, he was especially thankful for having Phil. The boy felt so tiny and fragile against Steve's robust body. It felt like he was made for being protected. But Steve was also thankful for the rest of his new 'family'. Anthony and Bruce, the most adorable couple he had ever met, so perfect with each other. And Anthony's parents, who were so nice and inviting.

Sighing, Steve put the book away. The deep, resonant noise of his sigh woke the others from their sadness and the boys shot an embarrassed look at him and wiped the tears off their faces, still holding each other close. Only Phil did not stop crying. Maybe the story had been a little too much for him, sensitive as he was.

Seeing how upset his brother was, Bruce crawled over to him and pulled him into his arms, sitting down in Steve's lap himself. Anthony joined them, hugging the two boys at once and even his mum moved over to stroke Phil's hair. Their collective love only made the boy sob harder, but at the same time he laughed, because he, too, was happy to have them all.

* * *

“What is it that you wanted to announce? Come on, we're all here now, spill it!” Mrs Stark asked her husband. Their kitchen was big, but it almost seemed cramped with all of them standing around curiously, which was mostly Steve's fault, because he was so much taller then the rest of them.

“Well...”, Mr Stark started, grinning like a school boy and whipped out six plane tickets. For a moment there was only stunned silence. “I... want to invite you all... to join me on a one-week holiday trip to the tropical holiday resort and 'family-fun-park' –” And with that, before he could even give the resort's name the boys started cheering and jumping and talking all at the same time. Anthony's dad was hugged by his wife and Steve was simply stunned that he was invited.

“All those crossword puzzles finally paid off.” It was their collective thoughts, but Tony's dad was the one who said it and they all agreed. “We're leaving in a month's time, it's a little short notice, but I hope all of you can make it work? Phil, you'll have to ask your dad for permission of course. Steve, if you need anything for the trip just tell me.”

A month's time, that was on the same day the winter holidays started for Phil. Bruce would have no problem with his job, he was constantly working overtime and it was hard enough to get him out of his lab at all. Tony did not have a job and Steve was currently working as the school's official football coach, but assured them all that he would find someone to do his work while he was gone. Tony and Bruce beamed at each other, knowing they got to share a room. It was about time for an adventure, and of course their minds were already planning and plotting what they could do once they arrived.

“I bet they'll have a pool!”, Bruce said excitedly on their way up to Tony's room.

“What do we need a pool for when there is an ocean all around?”, Tony remarked and grinned. “We could find ourselves a dark cave and have some fun”, he added, nipping Bruce's ear playfully.

“Oh you! Don't you ever think about anything else?”, the other replied, but Anthony Stark knew that his boyfriend was turned on already.

* * *

“Take some pictures for us!”

“Bring me something!”

“I was there last year, with my parents. You really have to go see the...”

“... and the food is just awesome!”

“You bragged”, Bruce said matter-of-factly. Phil blushed, obviously guilty, but did not reply. His last days of school had been so boring in comparison to what he was going to experience, he just had to spice them up! This was going to be his first trip to anywhere ever! Even though he could now bear the fruit of his extensive bragging, feeling the jealousy and good wishes of his school comrades, Phil was happy that school was over and their holiday was about to start.

Bruce's father had allowed Phil to go with Anthony's family and Bruce guessed he was just glad to be on his own for a while. The brothers' bags were already packed, waiting at the Starks' house. It was Anthony who had waited until the night before they left to pack his things and now that he was cramming things into his suitcase, Bruce was watching him from a safe place on the bed.

By now Anthony's room looked as though it had been hit by a bomb. There were things scattered everywhere and Bruce doubted the other had any clue of what he was even packing.

“What do you need a scarf for? It'll be super hot!”, Bruce would comment every now and again. After a while of watching Anthony pack silly things, Bruce got frustrated and jumped off the bed, right on top of Tony, wrestling him to the ground. “You mutt, stop and think, will you?”, he said and laughed.

Tony stuck out his tongue at his lover and rolled around, pinning Bruce to the ground. Thus started a wrestling match, that at some point had some playful biting mixed in. Then some groping was added, a little kissing and licking, but still with a lot of rolling around in the mess of Anthony's room. Soon they took turns rubbing and nibbling and sucking and stroking each other, and just when one was getting close to the edge, the other stopped and let himself be wrestled into submission to be pleasured and teased. It was going to take them a while to pack that suitcase...

* * *

For all three boys it was their first flight ever. Phil was a little scared – as was Bruce, but he would not admit it, whenever Anthony teased him. The only one who panicked during the mild turbulences, however, was Tony himself, who was very happy when their machine finally touched the ground again.

“Flying is just unnatural”, he explained, ignoring Bruce's snickering.

Outside the airport, away from the air-conditioning, it was hot. Who would have thought that at home they were having snow and ice rain down on them, when the weather here was fit for paradise? As was the scenery – and the food, which they tasted just an hour later at the evening buffet at their hotel.

To Anthony's and Bruce's great disappointment they had to share a room with Phil, while Steve had his own room and his parents, of course, shared a room. However, Tony was sure they could convince Phil to spend the night at Steve's every now and again – and also, he planned on spending most of their alone time outside of their hotel room. What was the point of being in a foreign country if they only had sex in a hotel bed?

All of the rooms were adjacent to one shared sitting room, which held a dinner table and chairs as well as a TV-area with a large couch and a coffee table, which Tony's mother immediately fell in love with. The suit's two bathrooms were small but clean and held everything they needed – especially with an ocean and countless wellness-parks waiting outside anyway.

Right after unpacking, Tony, Bruce, Steve and Phil left the hotel and wandered through the city's streets. 'City' was almost not the right word, there were barely any accommodations for the local people around, most of the buildings were restaurants and shops and spas. There were some parks around and they settled down in one of them to watch a group of street artists perform until Steve reminded them that they had to get back inside.

* * *

“Alright, try not to get lost.” Anthony grinned at his mother and gave her a quick peck on the cheek, then he grabbed Bruce's hand and dragged him outside before she would change her mind and got a babysitter for them. No matter how old Tony was, his parents seemed to keep thinking of him as a little boy.

“To the beach!”, he exclaimed and then the two lovers were out of sight.

“Are you two all set? Good. Then I'll head off, too”, Mrs Stark said and waved at Steve and Phil. Her husband was waiting for her at one of the 'special spas' they had found and she left to join him. It was good to get to spend some time with him, without having to worry about the kids.

“And where are the two of us going to go?”, Steve asked and ruffled Phil's hair, as he usually did.

“To the pool! The one by the jungle, that adventure pool thingy. Please?” Phil was excited, he loved adventures and he was wondering how a pool could be adventurous. He also loved hanging out with Steve. Steve's agreed and let himself be hugged, not taking much notice of the gesture. Phil hugged him quite a lot. They cuddled a lot. Steve had gotten so used to it, he would rather have noticed had the boy not done it.

Phil was not a very good swimmer, he could paddle for a short time or let himself float through the water, but he could not really swim or even dive. There had never been anyone to show him. Luckily, he had Steve, who let him ride on his back, while he swam through the clear water. The 'Adventure Pool', as Phil had named it, had a large pool like every other swimming facility, but it also had lots of tunnels and passages and caves, partly using the natural environment and partly simply having been enhanced by its owners.

The water was quite deep, to allow diving and jumping in from the edges, but Steve did not mind. As long as Phil held himself on his back, there was nothing to worry about.

“Hold your breath, we'll take a tunnel”, Steve said, before diving down through one of the stone tunnels. It was not easy to move with the extra body attached to his back, but the challenge itself was fun enough. When he re-surfaced, they were in a cave. There were a few dim lights at the bottom of it and the tunnel was the only way in or out. The water was more shallow on the cave's edge and the stone had been shaped to sit or lie on it. Steve swam over to the shallow waters and let Phil climb off his back, before sitting down.

Immediately, Phil manoeuvred into Steve's lap and Steve smiled down at the younger boy. They enjoyed the dull silence of their little cave. Even though anyone could enter at any time, there was an illusion of privacy to the place. It was nice, almost like – what was that? Steve opened his eyes, startled to find a slender body rubbing against him – against his crotch.

“Phil, what...” Two innocent eyes blinked up at Steve and the blonde man guessed that Phil did not even notice what he was doing. Then again, his movement seemed so deliberate and –

“Oh god... Ph-Phil, you... you sh-shouldn't... oh...” The soft, gentle hand that had wrapped around Steve's hardening length felt so good.

“Only this”, the boy's voice said quietly. “Please. I know it feels good and I want only this.” Steve battled with himself, and for a while only his panting and the splashing of water filled the cave. He was so close to giving in...

“No”, he said firmly and grabbed Phil, who barely had time to hold his breath, before he was dragged back underwater, through the tunnel and out of the cave. When they resurfaced, the boy was gasping for air and so was Steve, his erection demanding, powerfully, urgently. “You cannot do this”, Steve said and swam back to the public area. Phil looked disappointed, then hurt and stubborn.

“Why not? Please, I want to feel good with you. Just a little bit, please, please Steve, please”, he said and seemed as though he was about to burst into tears. The overwhelming closeness he could see between his brother and Anthony... there was nothing bad about it – it had to be so wonderful. Why could he not feel like that with Steve? With Steve it would be different, it would be so much more and in his pubescent mind Phil knew that if he could not feel this close to Steve, he would never have this beautiful feeling ever again.

“You can't. Phil, you're too young, and... Please, try to understand me. We can't do that”, Steve tried to explain, holding on to the edge of the pool so he could look at Phil and did not have to swim. This whole situation seemed... so wrong to him. Surely he felt affection towards the little boy, but... like this? It couldn't... no. Steve could not permit this to happen. To him, Phil was still that vulnerable little boy and who was to say that the sixteen-year-old did not just cling to Steve like that because he was the only one really being there for him? That was not love, that was... what? Dependence?

But no matter what Steve said, Phil would not stop trying...

* * *

It was dark and Phil was lucky his clothes were dark, so nobody noticed him sneaking around outside at this time of night. It was not long until he was hidden out of sight anyway, crouching beneath a table, next to a large planter and in front of him – Steve. Or rather, Steve's legs, as Steve was not crouching beneath the table – that would never have fit – but sitting at it, waiting for his order to be taken.

Phil brushed a hand against the man's leg, but Steve did not react. The teenager tried again, and once more, and finally Steve lifted the table cloth, staring at Phil for a moment.

“What on earth are you doing here? You should be in bed!”, Steve hissed. Phil moved closer, still hidden from view by the smartly placed planter. Steve guessed the boy wanted to say something to him and let him get closer, but when Phil's hands started rubbing over his thighs and crotch, Steve pushed them away.

“Go home! I told you no, now go to bed.” What on earth was he going to do about this boy if Phil did not stop? As there was no response, Steve dropped the table cloth, hoping the boy had understood. Even if Phil had not been trying to advance on Steve, being only sixteen, the boy was not allowed outside at this time of night without an adult – and Steve refused to watch him as long as this madness was going on.

It was when the server approached and took Steve's order, that the blonde man felt something tugging on the zipper of his pants and he bit his lip, trying to push Phil away with his leg without anyone else noticing the boy was even there. Suddenly, something soft and warm and wet was down there. He suppressed a gasp and finished his order in a hurry, still trying in vain to push Phil away with his leg. People were walking past his table, making it unable for him to talk to Phil – if anyone saw a sixteen-year-old boy kneel between his legs, what were they going to think? Steve buried his face in his hands and tried to slow his heart, level his breathing. However, whenever that hot tongue touched him, a jolt of lust and pleasure rushed through his body and by the time his food was served, Steve was gripping the table, trying his hardest not to make a noise. Phil's lapping had turned into sucking of whatever he could fit into his mouth. Steve had not even started to try and eat, when his body could not take it any longer and he came into Phil's mouth, knocking over a glass of water in the process.

Phil was eagerly lapping up Steve's seed and before the man had fully recovered, the boy was gone.

* * *

Their little encounter seemed to have satisfied the teenage boy and neither of them lost a word about it. Phil made no further advances toward Steve – but the blonde man could not get his mind off the boy. Every waking hour he watched the Phil's agile body move about and by night he imagined his tongue, his hot mouth on his length.

It was the last night of their stay that he would feel Phil's body cuddle up with him again. It was some ungodly hour in the morning, everything was dark and silent and Steve was only half awake. It was not Phil's cuddling, but his shaking that finally woke Steve up.

“What's wrong?”, he asked in a whisper.

“Nightmare”, the boy replied and Steve wrapped his arms around the small figure, trying to calm him. Long after Phil had stopped shaking, the two of them were still awake, both of them aware of their closeness and of the scent of lust that had spread between them.

Phil was the first to move. He turned around in Steve's arms and started kissing the tall man in his inexperienced, innocent way. Steve did not even struggle, he had given in to the idea of being the boy's lover two nights ago, when the pressure, the lust for the teenager, the need for his touch would not subside.

Turning to lie on his back, Steve sat Phil onto his stomach, where the younger rubbed himself against Steve. In the dark, their panting mingled while Steve could feel something hardening against his skin. Slowly, Phil moved down towards Steve's crotch and was then rubbing his own against it.

* * *

Nobody even seemed to notice the change. It was subtle, but it was there. The closeness. The almost tangible lust that hovered between Steve and Phil. They were behaving the way they always did, saying the same things they always did, but when their eyes met there was a buzzing and they lingered on each other a little too long.

However, enjoying their last breakfast at the hotel, everyone was busy paying attention to their respective loved once. And that was fine with Phil and Steve, because they did not plan on telling anyone just how close they had become. It was nothing anyone needed to know but themselves.

* * *

“We should do that again some time”, Anthony's father said and they all agreed.

“I'll take Phil home”, Steve said and the boy slipped his slender hand into Steve's big one. Bruce was going to stay with Anthony for a few more days and Steve had promised to keep his brother company.

As the tall blonde man and the short, dark-haired teenager walked down the road from Tony's place to Phil's home, they both smiled. They were happy with each other and even though nobody knew and nobody would believe them, they were family.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And this concludes the third chapter, which is also the last one, unless my muse strikes me with a hellish lot of inspiration for another chapter. 
> 
> As usually, I appreciate comments, ideas and suggestions - or really anything in terms of reactions.
> 
> I have no idea if the notes of the other chapters will show up here, too, or just the ones of the first chapter, or none at all... this whole thing confuses me. But, hey, what doesn't confuse me?

**Author's Note:**

> This note-part is going to be a little longer. It won't be as long for the following chapters, I just need to get rid of some of my own general confusion (and I do have a thing for the occasional mindless ramble).
> 
> I don't write romance. Ever. Or AU-fiction, unless it's a silly story not meant to be taken seriously. This story is so much unlike anything I'd ever think I'd write. But here it is. And there is more. A little more drama coming up, probably. I like drama. I am familiar with drama. I suck at romance. Sorry for that. :P 
> 
> This is, as said before, an alternative-universe-story, naturally resulting in different personalities for some of the characters. Or all of them. Probably. I still try not to change them completely and leave their basic nature untouched by my creative chisel. I will, however, hammer away at the rest, which is to be expected when you read AU-fiction. If you do not like how the characters behave, then this may not be the right story for you. Which is not to say that you are not welcome reading it and commenting on it :)
> 
> Speaking of comments: I appreciate comments, ideas and suggestions - or really anything in terms of reactions. Corrections, too. If nothing else, please send me corrections, so that I can, well, apply them to the story and silently sob about my incompetence. But, really, it's five in the morning, you WILL find something. And if you could tell me about it that would really be appreciated :)
> 
> And, last but not least: If anyone ever wants me to put any kind of trigger warnings in the top notes, just let me know. I'll do it, because I respect personal needs.


End file.
